40 Facts About Antonio Banderas

1.

Antonio Banderas appeared in the first three films of the Spy Kids series and provided the voice of Puss in Boots in the Shrek franchise and its spin-off films Puss in Boots and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.

2.

In 2003, Antonio Banderas made his US theater debut as Guido Contini in Nine, for which he was nominated for a Tony Award and won a Drama Desk Award.

3.

Antonio Banderas received Primetime Emmy Award nominations for his roles in the television film And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself and the second season of Genius ; his portrayal of Pablo Picasso in the latter garnered him critical praise.

4.

Jose Antonio Banderas Dominguez Bandera was born on 10 August 1960 in Malaga, to Civil Guard gendarme officer Jose Dominguez Prieto and schoolteacher Ana Bandera Gallego.

5.

Antonio Banderas showed a strong interest in the performing arts and formed part of the ARA Theatre-School run by Angeles Rubio-Arguelles y Alessandri and the College of Dramatic Art, both in Malaga.

6.

Antonio Banderas began his acting studies at the School of Dramatic Art in Malaga, and made his acting debut at a small theater in Malaga.

7.

Antonio Banderas was arrested by the Spanish police for performing in a play by Bertolt Brecht, because of political censorship under the rule of General Francisco Franco.

8.

Antonio Banderas spent a whole night at the police station; he had three or four such arrests while he was working with a small theater troupe that toured all over Spain and was giving performances in small town theaters and on the street.

9.

Antonio Banderas began working in small shops during Spain's post-dictatorial cultural movement known as the La Movida Madrilena.

10.

Antonio Banderas then broke through to mainstream American audiences in the Jonathan Demme film Philadelphia, as the life-long partner of lawyer Andrew Beckett, who has AIDS.

11.

Antonio Banderas appeared in several major Hollywood releases in 1995, including a starring role in the Robert Rodriguez-directed film Desperado and the antagonist on the action film Assassins, co-starred with Sylvester Stallone.

12.

Antonio Banderas had success with his role as the masked swordsman Zorro in the 1998 film The Mask of Zorro starring Anthony Hopkins and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

13.

Antonio Banderas starred in Michael Cristofer's Original Sin alongside Angelina Jolie the same year.

14.

Antonio Banderas won both the Outer Critics Circle and Drama Desk awards, and was nominated for the Tony Award for best actor in a musical.

15.

Antonio Banderas's performance is preserved on the Broadway cast recording released by PS Classics.

16.

Antonio Banderas received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2005, the 2,294th person to do so; his star is located on the north side of the 6800 block of Hollywood Boulevard.

17.

Antonio Banderas again lent his voice to Puss in Boots, this time as the protagonist of the Shrek spin-off prequel, Puss in Boots.

18.

In 2018, Antonio Banderas starred in the National Geographic limited series Genius: Picasso, as the noted sculptor and painter Pablo Picasso.

19.

Antonio Banderas starred in the ensemble drama Life Itself which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.

20.

In 2019, Antonio Banderas starred in the Spanish film Pain and Glory, directed by Pedro Almodovar.

21.

The film centers around an aging film director, played by Antonio Banderas who has a chronic illness and writer's block as he reflects on his life in flashbacks to his childhood.

22.

On 25 May 2019, Antonio Banderas won Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor for his role in the film.

23.

Antonio Banderas was later nominated for his first ever Academy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for Pain and Glory.

24.

Also in 2019, Antonio Banderas starred in Steven Soderbergh's Netflix film, The Laundromat alongside Meryl Streep, and Gary Oldman.

25.

In 2022, Antonio Banderas appeared as Santiago Moncada, the antagonist of the Uncharted with Tom Holland and Mark Wahlberg film.

26.

Antonio Banderas returned to work for DreamWorks Animation reprising his voice as Puss in Boots in the sequel Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.

27.

Antonio Banderas is appearing in The Enforcer which filmed in Greece in 2022.

28.

In May 2010, Antonio Banderas received an honorary doctorate from the University of Malaga.

29.

Antonio Banderas received an honorary degree from Dickinson College in 2000.

30.

Antonio Banderas married Ana Leza in 1986 or 1988 and divorced in 1996.

31.

Antonio Banderas met and began a relationship with American actress Melanie Griffith in 1995 while shooting Two Much.

32.

Antonio Banderas is currently dating Nicole Kimpel, a Dutch investment banker.

33.

In 2009, Antonio Banderas underwent surgery for a benign tumor in his back.

34.

In 1996, Antonio Banderas appeared among other figures of Spanish culture in a video supporting the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party lists in the general election.

35.

In June 2015, Antonio Banderas demonstrated his support for Israel by taking part in a fund-raising event organized by Friends of the Israeli Defense Forces, which raised $31m for Israeli soldiers.

36.

Antonio Banderas has invested some of his film earnings in Andalusian products, which he promotes in Spain and the US.

37.

Antonio Banderas has received many award nominations throughout his career including an Academy Award nomination for Pain and Glory.

38.

Antonio Banderas received five Golden Globe Awards nominations for his work ranging from films to television.

39.

Antonio Banderas has received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations for his work on the television projects, And Starring Pancho Villa as Himself, and Genius: Picasso.

40.

Antonio Banderas received a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination for his performance as Pablo Picasso in Genius: Picasso.